HR professionals consider frequent job changes to further their careers

More than half of HR professionals think frequently moving from one employer to another is the best way to progress in their careers.

This is the headline finding of research published today by HR recruiter Robert Walters, which found that 52% of HR specialists feel they should move jobs at least every three years. This figure is higher than for law professionals (32%) and those in sales (33%), and also higher than the UK average, which stands at 42%.

When considering their next career move, HR professionals said they were motivated more by work-life balance (62%) and an interesting job (55%) than by remuneration and benefits (32%). This compares to a UK-wide average of 42% of respondents who said remuneration was the most important consideration.

According to the survey, HR professionals also believe their work is of “significant value” – 82% think that their personal achievements affect the broader success of the business, compared with 74% across the whole of the UK.

Colin Loth, director of HR recruitment at Robert Walters, said: “Most HR professionals feel that the best way of developing their professional expertise is to change jobs frequently – typically, this provides them with a variety of experience that they simply do not get by staying with the same employer for a number of years.

“With the HR function becoming increasingly more commercial, it’s no surprise that HR professionals believe that their work has a significant impact on the rest of the business. These figures provide evidence that HR departments think they are adding discernible value to how organisations operate and ultimately positively affecting the bottom line.”